Bakshees sahib

I walked out of the Intercontinental hotel in Karachi on the first day of January in 1968. My friends and I were waiting for a driver to take us on a tour of the city on our first day in Pakistan. We were standing there in front of the hotel getting impatient after waiting 15 minutes past the scheduled time when I felt something pull on my arm. I looked down to see an incredibly dirty little girl with big brown eyes looking up at me. She said “bakshees sahib”. She and the other two she was with were begging. We had been warned that we would be followed by these kids wherever we went and it proved to be true. Fortunately our car came just in time and I gave her two rupees and hopped in for the tour.

There is an incredible book called “Three cups of Tea” that I have just finished reading. I had not intended to read it because the author was on Oprah recently but I happened to have it in the car last week as we were coming back from Virginia Beach. A long ride will make you do things sometimes.

It’s over 40 years since that day in Pakistan and I have never forgotten that child’s face. There were many of them and honestly I did not even think there was a way to help them. Poverty in Pakistan was and is endemic.

Now, I read about what Greg Mortenson has been doing and I believe. He has been building schools. Why would he do that? Because nobody else did. But there is more to his story and his story has more to give us that may come home to the heart of Frankford.

If you are a reader, get his book. We have it on page 2 of our book store or go down to the library and borrow it.

Newly released, “Frankford Heroes, 2nd Edition”, written by Bob Smiley and Richard Johnson, takes us from a small 17th Century village in Philadelphia county to a 21st Century neighborhood in the city of Philadelphia, PA. Frankford has a long history of proud military service. This new edition has the stories 190 brave men and women, 147 of them would not return from war.

If you buy the book directly from us, we pay the shipping. Click on this link, https://frankfordgazette.com/books-for-sale/ and you can order online and us Paypal, credit or debit cards as well as mailing us a check. Anyone who buys a print edition of this book, please email gil@frankfordgazette.com or text 215-847-5506 to get your free ebook. The ebook has even more information about the Veterans, resources and links.

Through Tuesday evening, May 26, we will donate 10% of monies raised to St. Mark’s Church and Court St. Francis de Sales #2617 of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas for their Matthew 25 Food Cupboard. Thank you!